A new study out from Fidelity Investments shows just how important staying invested in stocks has been to Americans' retirement savings. Since the stock market bottomed out in the first quarter of 2009, the average balance in a Fidelity 401(k) has nearly doubled, from $130,700 to $255,000, for people who aren't retired yet but are 55 and older and have been with their current employer for at lest ten years.
Although the study focused just on Fidelity customers, there's no reason to believe the results have been much different for all 401(k) holders. We're now at a record high for the average 401(k) balance, driven by a stock market in which the S&P 500 has risen by 145 percent since March 9, 2009.
And the increases have continued. The average balance in a Fidelity 401(k) - for investors of all ages - rose from $77,300 at the beginning of the year to $80,900 at the end of the first quarter.
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